No More Excuses: Bold Action Needed to End Drunk Driving Now
No More Excuses: Bold Action Needed to End Drunk Driving Now
Some views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of RTSGNSW.
The alarming decline in Random Breath Tests (RBTs) conducted by police in recent years poses a significant threat to our collective efforts to reduce road deaths. Various justifications have been offered for this reduction, but none outweigh the devastating consequences of drunk driving. To effectively combat this issue, we need a comprehensive and well-managed program of preventative measures, including a robust alcohol interlock program for all offenders.
Over the past four years, there has been a staggering drop in RBTs—a nearly 50% decline from 2018 to 2022….
So, 2024 is on track to be a very low number for the year.
In 2018, police conducted over 5.5 million RBTs; by 2021, that number had plummeted to just under 2.8 million. This drastic reduction, means thousands of drunk drivers have gone undetected, remaining on the roads to endanger lives. Worse still, more people think they can avoid getting caught. The missed opportunity to remove these dangerous drivers is a failure we cannot afford to repeat.
The NRMA has been consistently calling on the NSW Government to attract and retain Police to ensure that visible policing is increased and that RBT rates are aligned with best practices, and they are not the only ones calling for urgent change.
Resource constraints are frequently cited as a reason for conducting fewer RBTs, with police pointing to budget cuts, staffing shortages, or the need to allocate resources elsewhere. While it’s true that resources are limited, the cost of inaction is far greater. Every preventable road death is a failure to prioritise public safety. Properly managed RBT programs are an investment in saving lives, and cutting them due to budget constraints is a shortsighted and dangerous decision. It’s not just about catching offenders; it’s about creating a deterrent that prevents potential offenders from taking that risk in the first place.
The perception of success is another flawed justification for reducing RBTs. An increase in positive tests might lead some authorities to believe the problem is under control, prompting them to focus on other areas. This is a dangerous misconception. A rise in positive tests indicates that the issue remains prevalent and demands more, not less, attention. Reducing RBTs in such circumstances is akin to ignoring a problem that urgently needs to be addressed.
The COVID pandemic's Impact on policing practices is understandable, but should not have led to a sustained reduction in RBTs. While the initial decrease was due to necessary public health measures, the focus on road safety should have resumed as conditions improved. Drunk driving did not disappear during the pandemic, and the risks it poses are as severe as ever. Our commitment to road safety must remain unwavering, pandemic or not.
Targeted policing is often touted as a more efficient use of resources, with law enforcement focusing on areas or times where drunk driving is more likely. While targeted operations are valuable, they should complement—not replace—random testing. The deterrent effect of RBTs lies in their unpredictability. The program's effectiveness is severely compromised if drivers believe they can avoid detection by altering their route or timing. A balance of random and targeted testing is crucial to maintaining a strong deterrent.
Public awareness campaigns, while essential, are not a substitute for active enforcement. The belief that increased awareness reduces incidents—and thus the need for RBTs—is overly optimistic. Education and enforcement must go hand in hand. Awareness campaigns may reduce the number of offenders, but the presence of RBTs reinforces the message that drunk driving will not be tolerated. Hoping people will do the right thing is not enough; we must ensure they have no other choice. Relying on short-term publicity ‘blitzes’ of seasonal campaigns must not distract from real solutions. For Police to stop and question people about their fatigue levels and ask them to self-nominate whether they are offending is undoubtedly a novel approach to law enforcement. Talking about drug testing and investment in more of that is undoubtedly good news for which the NSW Government must take credit. However, this must not overshadow the main event, drunk driving and the increasing unlikelihood of people being caught.
I am told the NSW Government's Plan B Campaign performs very well in research and will no doubt be repeated with minor tweaks. But does this point to a worrying conclusion that we are tracking the wrong metrics? Surely, the escalation in road deaths and serious injuries demands a more substantial, continuous, and innovative program. The current campaigns appear to best serve the Government's ‘box ticking’ approach to we are doing something.
Technology for good. To reduce road deaths, we need more than just RBTs. The current Alcohol Interlock Program is well managed but falls woefully short of effectiveness because it doesn’t address the scale of the problem and allows people to opt out, and reaches only a fraction of participants. To genuinely be a mandatory interlock program, it must be for all drunk drivers, specifically including 100% of low-range offenders. This could be an effective program central to our preventative measures. Imagine the impact if every person caught drunk driving had to explain to their friends that they could only drive a car with an alcohol interlock. Such a requirement could be one of the most effective campaigns to make drunk driving a social anathema, similar to the shift in societal views on domestic violence. By mandating the use of alcohol interlocks for low, mid and high-range DUIs, we can directly prevent individuals caught driving under the influence from reoffending while also creating a robust social deterrent.
The importance of this measure is underscored by troubling statistics from New South Wales (NSW), where 18% of adults and 26% of young people convicted of drunk or drug driving are re-convicted of the same offence within ten years. This rate of recidivism highlights the urgent need for stronger deterrents and consistent enforcement. Research from the U.S. indicates that individuals caught drunk driving have, on average, driven drunk 80 times before being apprehended. Without robust preventative measures, the cycle of reoffending is likely to continue.
If the police cannot maintain adequate levels of RBTs due to resource constraints, an option could be to consider alternative solutions. Private enterprises could fund this vital initiative, ensuring the public is kept safe from the dangers of drunk driving.
Perhaps the State Insurance Regulatory Authority with the Insurance Council of Australia could make a difference by encouraging insurance companies to hit people in the back pocket with higher premiums for impaired driving convictions and put that money to good use with road safety campaigns targeting those most at risk.
With the rise of apps like Waze, which some people use to avoid police checkpoints, presents a new challenge—and an opportunity. Rather than allowing such technology to help individuals evade the law, we should explore how these innovations can be harnessed for good. Imagine if these apps could be used to promote safe driving habits or even alert users to the presence of RBTs as a deterrent rather than a warning. By repurposing these technologies, we can turn them into tools that support law enforcement and public safety rather than undermining them.
None of the reasons given for reducing RBTs are justifiable when compared to the loss of life and suffering caused by drunk driving. We must commit to a robust, well-funded, and consistently enforced program that includes random breath testing, alcohol interlock devices for offenders, and possibly private funding to support these initiatives. Lives depend on it.
The opinions stated in this article are my own.
Duncan Wakes-Miller
RTSG Founding Member
26 October, 2024